Two International Expositions in Spain : Sevilla Exposition (Ibero-American Exposition), March 15th to December 31st, 1929, Barcelona Exposition, May 1st to December 31st, 1929

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TWO INTERNATIONAL EXPOSITIONS

IN SPAIN

SEVILLA EXPOSITION

( Ibero-American Exposition)

March 15th to December 31st, 1929

BARCELONA EXPOSITION

May 1st to December 31st, 1929

This article is a reprint from the January 1929
issue of the

INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS REVIEW
published by the

International Telephone and Telegraph
Corporation

Plaza de America, Sevilla
The palace of Ancient Art in the background

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TWO INTERNATIONAL EXPOSITIONS

, By Carolina Marcial

T HE two great International Expositions to be held in Spain dur-
ing the year 1929, one at Barcelona and one at Sevilla, are an
indication of the economic position that has been attained by
the Spanish nation. During the last twenty-five years, the country has
made an uninterrupted move for improvement; and today Spain, with
its population of 22,000,000, is enjoying a period of undoubted pros-
perity. Internal peace has been established, export trade has been ex-
tensively developed, communications are being continually improved,
and agriculture and manufacture are assuming increased importance.

Spain’s greatest wealth is in her agricultural output. The well-
kept vineyards produce wines far-famed for their excellence of quality
and flavor. The extensive olive groves and plantations make Spain the
leading country of the world in the production of olives and olive oil.
Cereals and sugar are also grown in large quantities and the raising of
livestock is also of importance. Extensive mining concessions have been
granted. The vast hydrographic system of Spain, with such rivers as the
Ebro, the Guadalquivir, the Guadiana, and the Duero, has made possible

The Tower of the Colegio Mayor
O ne of the outstanding buildings of the Sevilla Exposition

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the progressive development of irrigation and the production of electric
energy. Fourteen railway companies are now in operation, and the
Mercantile Marine has increased its fleet to 1,750 vessels. The textile
industry has assumed considerable proportions in the Catalonian district.
Mining has flourished hand in hand with fishing, until at the present time
ten thousand tons of tinplate are used every year in the canning of
twenty-five thousand tons of fish. Other industries, too numerous to
itemize, are also increasing in importance } and in consideration of this
fact the present economic position of Spain makes the country a well
chosen location for an International Exposition.

The Barcelona Exposition

The Barcelona International Exposition, under the patronage of
the King of Spain, is a gigantic undertaking. Plans for it were started
in 1914, but they were interrupted by the World War, and were not
resumed until 1919. The opening of the Exposition has definitely
been set for the beginning of April. It will probably close by the end
of the year 1929. The Barcelona Exposition will no doubt be the
most important industrial exhibition that Europe has ever seen, bringing
thousands of visitors to Spain as participants or spectators. Three
main sections — Industrial, Spanish Art, and Sports — will make the
scope of the Exhibition almost boundless, and will provide a diversity
of interest. -

Barcelona, with its population of 1,000,000 inhabitants, is the most
important city on the Mediterranean coast, and is a thoroughly modern
metropolis, with beautiful parks and gardens, museums, libraries, a
university, and colleges. It has a well-developed transportation system,
with street-cars, autobus lines, subways, funiculars, and electric rail-
ways} and the harbor traffic is the best indication of the industrial im-
portance of the Catalonian region of which Barcelona is the center. The
city is situated in a valley between Mt. Tibidabo, 1,700 feet high, on the
north, and Mt. Montjuich, 600 feet high, on the south. It is on the
slopes of Mt. Montjuich, now converted into beautiful promenades and
gardens, that the great Exhibition will be held, covering an area of
over 300,000 acres.

The Industrial Section, comprising eleven vast halls, will be the
most important of the three sections of the Exposition. Here will be
seen the various aspects of industry and agriculture, the different forms
of commercial activity, and the application of science to the development
of production. Each of the halls will house a particular industrial group

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The Palace of Electricity and Power at the Barcelona Exposition

displaying to the public in an effective manner its own special features.

There will be two groups of agricultural buildings: one containing
the exhibitions of viticulture, enology, and olive culture, and the
other the displays of agricultural machinery ; while the open space be-
tween the two groups of halls will be used for exhibitions of floricul-
ture. The Hall of Textile Industry and Clothing Trade will have ex-
hibitions of processes and products connected with the textile industries
— spinning material and processes, cordage and woven materials, bleach-
ing, dyeing, printing, and dressing machinery; yarns, woven goods of
all kinds, laces and embroideries; materials and processes for the making
of clothing; cloths, furs, and leathers; hats, shirts, linen, neckties, and
footwear.

In the Hall of Electricity and Motive Power will be the electrical
and electro-chemical industries, electric lighting in all forms, telegraphs
and telephones, sundry uses of electricity, motive power, wind and water
motors and steam engines, applied mechanics, governors and accumu-
lators, measuring apparatus, chemical industries with their materials and
processes, chemical products, and coal products. The Hall of Applied
and Industrial Art will contain everything connected with furniture and
cabinet-making, interior decoration, ceramics, objets d’art in metal and
marble, lamps, wallpapers, tapestries, curtains and carpets, leather,
jewelry, religious and ecclesiastical art, art as applied to the theatre,
etc. The various branches of the Building Trade will be represented

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The Palace of Agriculture at the Barcelona Exposition

in the Hall of Alphonso XIII ; and will have exhibits of stonework,
tiles, cement, locksmith requisites, house carpentry, stairways, house
decoration, and the many other materials and processes that are linked
up with the building trade today.

In the Hall of Graphic Arts will be found the many things apper-
taining to the Art of Bookmaking — bookbindings and the special ma-
chinery employed in the making up of books, copies of codices and
incunabula, maps and geographies, globes, statistical graphs, and valu-
able collections of books. The Cinema Hall, in addition to its exhibition
rooms, boasts a magnificent theatre, and this hall will contain the
apparatus and accessories connected with artistic and educational photo-
graphy, stereoscopic and scientific photography, phototypography, photo-
gravure, and cinematography. The Hall of Labor will be concerned
with the methods used by modern industry to obtain the greatest effective
value from work in the least possible time and with the least fatigue
to the worker. The Hall destined for Sports Supplies will present rules,
plans, models, and equipment necessary for boxing, fencing, swimming,
football, tennis, and other forms of athletics. The Hall of Communi-
cations and Transport will include everything relating to animal
pack or draught transport, transport by rail or tramway, river and mari-
time transport, naval construction, aerial navigation, and traveling re-
quisites. In the foreign section, in a specially favored position over-
looking the other buildings, space has been reserved to enable any

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foreign state that so desires, to erect pavilions to shelter exhibits con-
nected with the official participation of their respective countries ; and
exhibitors in this section can also secure space in the magnificent Hall of
Queen Victoria Eugenia, which has been reserved for that special pur-
pose with all the necessary equipment.

Another main section of the Barcelona Exposition will be that
devoted to Spanish art. By collections of authentic objects of art and
reproductions of memorable events in the life of the nation, it will be
endeavored to “evoke the different atmospheres belonging to the various
epochs, and to reflect the essential features of Spanish art down through
the centuries of history.” Every article will be marked, in order to
show its history and origin, and the exhibition will be greatly enriched
by treasures of the State, the Church, the Army, and Public Corpora-
tions. 1 he compendium of Spanish history will begin with the first
colonization on Iberian soil, and will portray the deeds of glory that
have come down through the generations. The Hall of Modern Art
will contain exhibitions of painting, drawing, and sculpture j and the
“Spanish 1 own,” one of the most interesting features of the entire art
exhibition, will combine the typical buildings and picturesque representa-
tions of rural life in different epochs and districts of Spain, and will
illustrate typical Spanish clothing, the customs of the people, and the
popular arts and trades. In the “Spanish Town” will be held shows and
festivals, tournaments of knights, band competitions, historical pageants,

The Great National Palace at the Barcelona Exposition

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and rustic sports ; and the diversity of contemplated activities will no
doubt make this part of the Exhibition a particularly popular one.

All modern sports will be represented in the Sports Section, the
third main division of the Exposition 5 and the order of their representa-
tion will depend upon the following factors: the importance conceded
to them in modern pedagogical systems, the fame they have acquired
in the various countries of the world, and the industrial movement that
has grown up around them. I he splendid Stadium will accommodate
60,000 spectators j and the football field, racing track, tennis court, pool,
and halls for pelota, boxing, and fencing, will guarantee ample represen-
tation of the most popular sports and athletics.

The Press House is designed to enable newspaper men to transmit
their “stories” with the greatest possible dispatch, and is efficiently
equipped with telephones, telegraph facilities, and sub-postoffice. The
Pavilion of the State will contain the various government departments
— Post Office, Telegraph, War Office, Admiralty, Charitable Institutions,
Home Office, and Education. The automatic telephone service that was
recently inaugurated, and the long-distance telephone system that con-
nects Barcelona with far-away cities in Europe and America will do
much to expedite the carrying out of the necessarily complicated plans
for the great undertaking. The Mission Hall will house many of the
objects which figured in the Vatican Mission Exhibition. A Greek
theatre has been built at the back of an ancient quarry. Ample res-

The Moving Picture Palace at the Barcelona Exposition

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Entrance to the Art Exhibits
A most striking feature of the Barcelona Exposition

The Quaint Spanish Village
An unusual exhibit at the Barcelona Exposition

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taurant facilities have been provided, shelters for plants and shrubs
have been erected throughout the grounds — and, in short, everything
possible has been done to insure the success of the Exposition, and the
satisfaction of the spectators.

The Ibero-American Exposition in Sevilla

The other great International Exposition, the Ibero-American,
will be held in Sevilla from March 15, 1929, to January, 1930. Its
purpose is to “promote the study and treatment of problems of com-
munication, commerce, and finance ; and, in general, the moral and
material questions of mutual interest to the Iberian Peninsula and the
American countries.” Another objective is to strengthen even more the
bonds that already exist between Spain, Portugal, and the Americas;
and the Exposition is therefore of special interest to the Latin-American
nations.

I he Congress of the United States authorized an appropriation of
$700,000; and the Exposition authorities allocated a particularly desir-
able site to the United States Government, adjacent to the Plaza de
Espaha, the main Exposition building, and to the new Hotel Alfonso
XIII. One permanent building, representative of the best of the Spanish
influence in American architecture, was designed to harmonize with the
general architecture at Sevilla, as well as with the Exposition palaces
f°i ^ planed to turn this structure into a consulate, with ample
living quarters, library, and study room for American students. Two
tempoiary buildings will be in the same general style. One will be
used as an exhibit palace, showing the various branches of the United
States Government activities; and the other will be a cinema auditorium,
in which will be shown regular programs illustrating phases of govern-
ment activities such as farming, reclamation, irrigation, road construc-
tion, etc. that cannot be adequately shown in exhibits.

Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, Chile, The Dominican
epublic, Mexico, Peru, and Uruguay have erected special pavilions,
some of them designed to be permanent. Ecuador, Panama, El Salva-
dor, and Venezuela will show their exhibits in the special galleries of the
Exposition. Costa Rica and Paraguay will also send their exhibits.

Art, history, and commerce will be the main divisions of the Ex-
position. For the location, Sevilla set aside the beautiful gardens and
pai ks that lie between the city and the Guadalquivir River, and the beauty

0 .^j. e Settin S form an admirable background for the picturesque
buildings and Exposition palaces.

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The grounds will cover approximately three million square feet
and will be divided into four main sections, connected by beautiful
roadways and parks. In the first section will be the regional exposition
and the tourists’ exhibit. These will include the most characteristic
regional architecture of Spain, and fascinating presentations of the music,
dances, and customs of all parts of the country. Here the beauties of
the Spanish provinces will be graphically illustrated and bureaus of every
kind will furnish information with regard to excursions and voyages on
the Peninsula and to America. It is here that the visitor to Spain will

Building of the Cattle Industry at the Sevilla Exposition

be able to secure desired information about Madrid, Barcelona, Granada,
Cadiz, and other famous Spanish cities ; and he can also be informed as
to the relative advantages of a journey to Asturias, the region known
as “the Switzerland of Spain,” far to the north of the Ibei lan peninsula,
or a visit to the beaches of San Sebastian or Santander for rest and
recreation after the sight-seeing of the Exposition, or excuisions to
Montserrat, the legendary mountain of the Holy Grail, or to the
Balearic Islands, over the romantic waters of Mare Nostrum toward

the olive-clad slopes of Mallorca.

In the second section will be found the development of ancient
and modern Spanish art, also a historical and industi lal exposition
of artistic and practical significance. The third section has been planned
to portray the ancestral art, the heritage of the great minds that have
given universal glory to the name of Spain j and here will be exhibitions

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of pictures, work in precious metals, arms, tapestries, sculpture, and
other exhibits of Spain’s great heritage. In the fourth and last section,
will be the exposition of industry and commerce, automobile manufac-
ture, agriculture, and stock-raising. Here also will be the reservations
for the American and Portuguese nations, who will erect their pavilions
along the “Avenida de America” and in the “Plaza de Portugal.”

One of the interesting features of the Exposition will be the ex-
hibit of the Compama Telefonica Nacional de Espana where an auto-
matic exchange has been built in a permanent structure of pure Spanish
style. In a temporary pavilion connected with the permanent building
by an open gallery, the International Telephone and Telegraph Cor-
poration will have an exhibit portraying the work of the company
thiough the various countries where it operates. In another temporary
pavilion connected also with the permanent building by an open gallery
the International Standard Electric Corporation will have an exhibit of
Standard Electric telephone material. This attractive group of build-
ings of the Compama Telefonica Nacional de Espana at the Exposition
is both artistic and colorful. The main patio has a fountain that is a
repi eduction of one of the fountains of the Alhambra, the windows
are trimmed with rich wrought-iron work, and porcelain medallions
ecorate the columns in the charming open galleries connecting the main
building with the temporary pavilions.

A part of the Exposition grounds will be set aside for sports. There
will be golf links, tennis courts, and football grounds where the inter-
national matches will take place. As a final endeavor to make the
ei o-Amer ican Exposition complete, Sevilla is planning to organize
touis for the benefit of the visitors to the Exposition. Special trains,
automobile lines, and air lines will be run to other Spanish cities, and
to Tetuan, Tangier, and Ceuta, in Africa.

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Beautiful as is the city of Barcelona, its charm will be enhanced
uring the coming year by the magnificent buildings, and winding parks
and gai dens, that have sprung up so miraculously on the broad slopes
o Mt. Montjuich. Picturesque as is the city of Sevilla, with its famous
, caza G Oil alda Tower, Moorish patios, and exquisite gardens, it will
e ma e even more attractive by the beautiful buildings that have
c ustei ed on the banks of the Guadalquivir River.

Bhus Spain carries on preparations for two great International
expositions. Again the nations of the world will come together in the
peaceful and friendly competition of industry and art.

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Building of the Compania Telefonica Nacional de Espana
This attractive building will be used for a permanent automatic telephone

exchange in Sevilla

La Glorieta de los Quinteros
One of the most attractive corners in the beautiful grounds
of the Sevilla Exposition

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